53 easy and unique pumpkin carving ideas kids and adults will love

Embrace imperfections and discolourations and create a few wonky-faced gourds and pumpkins! Freehand facial features with a washable chalk marker, using natural shapes to inform facial features. Using linocut tools, carve away the surface of the pumpkin. Spray the carving with vinegar to preserve the design.

Add a bit of feline fright to your front porch this fall. Hollow out two pumpkins from the bottom. Trace our cat template onto the pumpkins using a washable chalk marker. Using a flexible carving knife, cut out the silhouette. Find a third pumpkin to create the illusion of a leaping cat and add LED lights inside. For extra security, use bamboo skewers to keep the pumpkins in place.

Design a haunted sky using our moonlight bat silhouette template. First, hollow out a pumpkin from the bottom, keeping the stem intact. Trace our artwork onto the pumpkin using a washable chalk marker. Carve away the surface pumpkin skin using linocut tools, leaving the bat shapes intact. Use a metal skewer to poke eyes all the way through the pumpkin. Add LED lights inside and spray the carving with vinegar to preserve the design.

Keep it simple with a classic Halloween phrase: boo! Hollow out the pumpkin from the top, freehand the phrase, and stick lights inside for an eye-catching jack-o'-lantern.

Instead of lighting up your carved pumpkin, stick a few of your favourite flowers in there for a fall-friendly decoration. Put it on the front steps with the rest of your autumn entryway decor for a cozy touch.

Turn heads with an owl jack-o'-lantern. Freehand your best owl facial features, and don't forget the feathers! Trick-or-treaters will be flocking to your door to get a closer look.

Carving out scalloped edges for pumpkins creates a unique display you can stack on any table, mantel, or desk. Cut a round opening from the bottom and scoop out the insides using a spoon or measuring cup. Keep carving the opening until you've created your desired bowl shape. Cut out V-shaped slivers and widen them until you have your scalloped edges. For this idea, you can add a tealight inside or place another pumpkin on top.

It's a party for all the swamp creatures. Use a melon baller or circle cutter to cut round holes of different sizes into your pumpkin. Then it's all a matter of decorating preference—add toy frogs and colourful bugs coming in and out of the holes. Style with tall grass, moss, or branches to really set the scene.

Use this season's gourds in a whole new way and make these adorable mushrooms. Pick out a variety of smaller, flatter pumpkins and stack them on top of taller, bigger pumpkins to create the mushroom shape. Then, carve small circles on the top pumpkin or gourd to construct a toadstool lantern. Pop a flameless tea candle inside the top for a cool effect come nighttime.

Turn tall squashes into funky candlestick designs. Use a carving knife to cut a round opening from the bottom of your pumpkin, then scoop out the insides. Download our candlestick template and trace the shape onto the pumpkin using a pencil or washable chalk marker. Cut along the template. When you're happy with the shape, put string lights into the bottom to create a stunning glow.

This spooky spider pumpkin will look great on your front porch or anywhere in your house! Carve out a circle on the face of the pumpkin, spray paint it (inside and outside) black, and poke 12-13 holes along the edge where you carved it. Then, thread a needle with a metallic string and tie a knot on the end.

Start from the inside and pull the thread through the first hole, then through another hole directly across the pumpkin (poking the pumpkin from the outside) and tying it off inside. Repeat this step until you have all your holes filled. Take a length of string and start by tying it to one of the crisscrossed strings you just created about one inch from the outside of the hole.

Continue making a spiral by knotting as you hit the crisscross that is already there, while continuing in a circular swirl. For the final touch, add a spider to your web!

Draw inspiration from an old cemetery headstone with this spooky design. Trace and carve our headstone template onto a tall pumpkin, preferably painted a moody colour of your choice. After adding the lights, place your new headstone on the front porch or lawn as a creepy welcome for guests.

From reindeer moss, twigs, and succulent stems to mini headstones, set a dramatic scene inside your carved pumpkin. For a pop of color, paint a small pumpkin red and make it center stage. Complete the over-the-top design with a full moon (a Ping-Pong ball that you can easily hang from a thin string).

For this fun hideout, carve a large hole in the front of your favourite warty pumpkin and hot glue together thick sticks or wood pieces to create a roof and house shape. Place near a tree or right on your porch for all your neighbours to admire. Now all you need is a fake frog (or two!) for added effect.

These striking flame pumpkins will illuminate your fireplace mantel—without any real flame. First, choose an assortment of orange pumpkins in various sizes, so they're easy to stack and arrange. Download, trace and carve out this flame template. Cut the pumpkin's opening out from the bottom for LED tealights and you're all set.

Opt for something artsy with our feather template, which even beginners can trace using washable chalk markers. Use linocut tools to carefully carve the surface skin of the pumpkin all while leaving the flesh exposed. A mix of long and short carving strokes will create texture on the pumpkin. For a brighter glow from the string lights inside, thin the flesh of the pumpkin by scraping away more of the inside flesh with a spoon.

Tip: Spray vinegar on the carved areas so they last longer before adding the string lights.

This silly face is a breeze to make. Carve the mouth and eyes, leaving some shaved down pumpkin for the irises. Glue on black buttons for the pupils, then use a zipper and wide black ribbon to create the mouth.

Would you believe this spooky display of heirloom pumpkins and gourds is made possible with cookie cutters? After prepping and cleaning the pumpkins, push sturdy metal cookie cutters into them (think bats, skeletons, ghosts, and vampires).

Use a rubber mallet to hammer the cookie cutters through their flesh and save the cutouts. Cut out smaller details with a round hole cutter before spraying vinegar on the carved areas so they last longer. Mix and match the punched cutouts to create a colourful pumpkin pattern.